


Doppleganger

by SilenceIsGolden15



Series: Voltron Oneshots [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Choking, Gen, Shiro (Voltron) Has a Clone, pre-season four
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 19:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14268276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceIsGolden15/pseuds/SilenceIsGolden15
Summary: Post lion swap, the team is still struggling to figure out the new power dynamics. At the least expected moment, Shiro turns on them, and they scramble to figure out what's going on with him. Across the galaxy, a human boy is rescuing a Paladin of Voltron from a hidden prison, and things get complicated.





	Doppleganger

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote this before Season 4, so the whole Matt and Pidge reunion is different than in happened in the show (obviously). And as you can see I was on the 'Shiro is a Clone' bandwagon since day one and I wrote like four fics about it so strap in folks.

“Pidge, any sign of Lotor so far?” The new black paladin asked as he walked onto the Castle’s bridge. 

“No, nothing.” answered Pidge, glaring balefully down at her screen. “I don’t understand, he was all over us a few weeks ago, and now he just disappears?”

“Well, keep looking.” Keith instructed, coming up to stand alongside her console. “He’ll have to show up eventually.”

“Yeah.” she sighed. Behind them, there was a hiss as the door opened. “I wish we knew what he was planning.”

“Getting antsy yet?” Keith turned to see Shiro had entered the room, accompanied by Allura. He was wearing a soft smile, but Keith just frowned in return.

“He’s out there somewhere, and whatever he was planning to do with that comet, it can’t be good.” he said solemnly, crossing his arms across his chest. “We have to find him before he does anything crazy.”

“I agree.” Allura said, stepping up to the controls. “Lotor should be our first priority. However,” She opened up the 3D map of the stars, lighting up the room in its blue glow. “Until we find out where he is, we should continue to build the coalition as planned.”

Keith couldn’t help scowling slightly. He hated the diplomacy part of this whole thing. As the new leader he was expected to appear with Allura, to smile and be reassuring and try to inspire people to join the cause. To be honest, he thought most of the leaders of other planets were cowards. If they had to be convinced to fight for their own freedom, who could say if they would back their allies when shit hit the fan?

“Please tell me we’re not doing anymore of those stupid shows.” 

“Yes, we are.” Allura said, more than a little dismissively. Keith groaned.

“Keith, we’ve talked about this.” Shiro began, with his Space Dad expression.

“I know, I know. ‘Dazzle the crowds with the power of Voltron and give them the hope to fight back.’” he parroted the phrase Shiro had been flinging at him for the past few days. He was getting pretty sick of it. “I just think if they need a fireworks show to convince them the Galra are worth fighting, then they’re probably not the kind of people you want to trust in battle.”

“Thank you for your insight,” Allura snapped, “But we need as many allies as we can get, and this is how we’re going to do it.”

Keith chose not to answer. They already had this conversation several times before, and it never got them anything but a headache. 

Throughout this whole conversation, Pidge had kept her head down and her eyes on her screen. She hated it when Keith and Allura argued about the diplomacy stuff. And lately, Shiro’s presence seemed to just make the fights worse, instead of deescalating like he used to. 

Soon, the rest of the Castle’s occupants had joined them on the bridge as Allura guided them into the orbit of a nearby planet, where their next little coalition rally was taking place.

It was pretty small, as far as planets go, but it wasn’t currently crumbling to pieces, frozen over, or being consumed by acid, so by paladin standards, it was pretty nice. 

“Almost looks like Earth.” Lance mused. “Except the clouds are green.”

“I don’t know.” Pidge said, “I think the water is a little grayer than back home.”

“I think you guys are missing the purple rocks.” Hunk butted in, and the three quickly fell to bickering about whether the planet really did resemble Earth or not. Keith didn’t join in, just watching the planet get larger and larger as Coran and Allura flew them in.

Shiro stood behind the rest, keeping out of the way. He was starting to feel a little lightheaded, but he didn’t want to worry any of the others. He would be fine in a few minutes. 

Suddenly, he was struck by intense, head splitting pain. He staggered, and had to brace himself against a pillar to keep from falling. And then everything went black. 

Keith tapped his fingers against his arm. He was not looking forward to this. Every time they did another silly show for the cheering crowds, his patience got a little thinner, and one of these days he was going to crack. 

When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he instinctively knew it was Shiro, who could always tell when something was bothering him. But the touch wasn’t comforting like it usually was. He was gripping Keith tightly, practically digging his fingers into his shoulder. He started to turn, and out of the corner of his eye, saw something wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. 

Shiro’s eyes were glowing yellow. 

His breath sucked in, but before he could react or make a sound, Shiro drove his fist into Keith’s gut. He doubled over from the blow, and would have crumbled to the floor if Shiro hadn’t been hanging onto his jacket. All of his breath was gone, he couldn’t speak, but the others did that for him. 

“Keith?!”

“Shiro?!”

“What the heck is going on?”

Allura, startled by the sudden commotion, slammed the Castle to a halt. She and Coran were able to brace themselves against the controls, but the sudden stop threw the paladins off their feet, and with surprised yelps, they all slid and tumbled across the floor. 

Shiro wasn’t fazed. He was immediately on his feet again, eyes still glowing that sickly yellow. His face was blank and his movements mechanical as he advanced on Keith once again. Grasping the younger boy by the front of his shirt, he hauled him to his feet. 

The adrenaline was pumping now, and for a moment Keith forgot who he was fighting. It was all muscle memory as he aimed a hard kick at Shiro’s knee. It gave, and Shiro fell into a kneel, allowing Keith to twist out of his grasp and dart to the side. But he knew Keith’s tactics, and with a smooth whirl, caught him by the throat with his cybernetic hand. 

He pushed forward several steps, until he was slamming Keith up against the same pillar he had leaned against a few moments before. His head cracked against the metal, and black spots erupted across his vision. He kicked frantically, but the blows had no effect. 

“Shiro-” he gasped, but as soon as he spoke Shiro tightened his grip on Keith’s throat, cutting off his windpipe. 

“Shiro! Let him go!” Shiro turned his head slightly to see Lance standing to his right, his bayard summoned and the sights trained on him. While he had been grappling with Keith, the other paladins had formed a loose circle around him, bayards at the ready. Coran was at the console still, frantically typing away, trying to stabilize the ship's flight path after their sudden stop. 

Shiro turned his cold gaze back to Keith, who was clawing at his arm in desperation. If it had been his human arm, he definitely would be drawing blood. Brow furrowing in determination, he only tightened his grip. 

“Pidge, now!” 

Two sharp cracks echoed through the room as both girls snapped their bayards forwards. Allura’s ribbon wrapped around one of Shiro’s ankles, and Pidge’s whip around the other. With a synchronized yank, they pulled Shiro’s feet right out from under him. He gave a surprised yell, and both he and Keith hit the floor with a crash. 

Lance and Hunk rushed to Keith while Allura and Pidge reeled in Shiro. Allura was able to keep him pinned down with one hand, but his eyes still glowed and he still fought. 

“Pidge.” she said quickly. “Shock him!”

The green paladin felt sick, but she did it anyway. Shiro’s muscles tensed up and he cried out at the touch of the green lightning, and when Pidge released it, he went still, completely unconscious. 

Keith had pushed himself to his hands and knees, coughing his lungs out and gasping for breath. Lance and Hunk pressed close to him, each pulling one of his arms over their shoulders and holding him upright.

“Keith? Are you ok? Can you talk?” Lance’s voice was riddled with anxiety, but Keith didn’t even look at him. He was staring at Shiro, despair written all over his face. 

“Sh-Shiro?” he choked out, trying to get to his feet but failing.

“Hey hey hey.” Hunk admonished. “Take it easy, man.” 

He didn’t try to stand up again, but he didn’t take his eyes off of Shiro. There was a moment of utter silence as everyone just sat in their shock. No one could really comprehend what had just happened. 

Then Coran’s boots clicked across the floor.

“Princess, perhaps it would be wise to secure him elsewhere until we can determine what’s happened?”

Allura looked at him blankly for a second, and then seemed to shake herself and planted her hands imperiously on her hips.

“Yes,” she said. “Lance and Hunk, take Keith down to the infirmary. Coran, make sure he’s not hurt too badly. Pidge and I will deal with Shiro.” 

“No!” Keith exclaimed, suddenly trying to break free from Lance and Hunk. They both had to dismiss their bayards and plant their hands on his chest to hold him back. “You can’t lock him up.” His voice was even hoarser than usual. 

“Dude, he tried to kill you!” said Lance incredulously. 

“Until we find out why this happened, we have no other choice.” declared Allura, “For the safety of everyone on this ship.”

* * *

 

“Alright team, get ready.” The human boy gripped his staff tightly, his knuckles turning white. “The ships cloak will get us close enough to break in, but after that it’s gonna be a fight.”

“Are you sure about this?” The short blue alien next to him was clearly scared out of his wits. He had only joined the rebellion a few weeks ago, and they hadn’t done anything crazy like this since then. 

The boy fixed steady amber eyes on his friend. “The intel was very clear. A Voltron paladin is being held in this base. It took us months to find this place, and I’m not backing down now.”

The blue one nervously gulped and nodded. The human turned his attention to the other members of his team, only three more people. The remaining three crewmembers would remain on the ship. They had all been here even longer than he had, so he wasn’t worried about them. 

Above their heads, an intercom crackled to life.

“Strike Team, we are approaching the Galra base. Prepare for landing.”

The blue alien immediately went several shades paler and began to tremble. Setting his staff aside, the human knelt down in front of him so that their eyes were level, his cybernetic leg making a slight creaking sound. 

“Listen to me.” he said resolutely. “You are the only one who knows enough about the security codes to get us inside. We need you to pull it together. Can you do that?” 

He was still shaking, but he gave as firm a nod as he could manage. At that moment, there was a slight bump as their ship touched down outside the base entrance. The red haired human boy gave his friend a confident smile, which was answered by a shaky one as the blue alien fastened his helmet in place and prepared to leave the ship.

His fingers shook terribly the whole time, but he entered the right code and the bay doors slid open, allowing the cloaked rebel ship to enter the Galra base. 

“Remember,” the boy told his cohorts within the ship, “We’re after two things. The paladin, and information.” 

As the door on their ship began to open, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. 

“Let's move.” 

The four moved swiftly and silently out of their ship and across the bay, taking cover as needed to avoid sentries. They had expected a fight, but that didn’t mean they had to provoke one. Once they got out of the hangar, the group split, two going left down the hallway and the other two going right. The human went right, accompanied by a Balmeran who was surprisingly stealthy for being made out of stone. 

They were heading for prisoner containment. This base was small and assembled quickly, probably as part of a covert experiment. As far as they could tell, the paladin should be the only captive being held here. 

As predicted, the prisoner area was tiny, only four cells. Three of them were empty. Two figures stood in front of the fourth door, and the human was surprised to discover that they were actual Galra soldiers, not the usual drones. Of course, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Voltron was renowned for being powerful, and a paladin would be a valuable bargaining chip for the Empire. Of course they would be guarded more heavily than normal prisoners. But still, not well guarded enough.

The human boy smirked to himself as he and his companion advanced slowly, keeping out of sight of the soldiers. The Galra hadn’t put in as much security here as they should have, probably relying on the remote location and total secrecy to play a large role in keeping their captive. 

Using hand signals to communicate, the two invaders positioned themselves, one behind each of the Galra soldiers. At the same time, they pounced.

The Balmeran simply gripped the head of the soldier and used her superior strength to quickly and cleanly snap his neck. The human had a little more trouble. First he knocked his opponent's leg out from under him, then using his staff, knocked off his helmet. With one last hard strike, like swinging a baseball bat, he obliterated the soldiers windpipe, and he collapsed. 

The entire encounter had only resulted in a few clangs of metal, not loud enough to alert any other Galra to their presence. Using one of the corpse’s hands, the boy opened the cell door. 

At first, he couldn’t see anything within the shadowed interior, but he wouldn’t make the mistake of stepping inside. Most likely the paladin was hiding next to the door, waiting for a chance to make their escape from this place themselves. 

“Paladin.” he hissed. “Come out. We’re here to help you.” 

After a moment, he could make out a shape emerging from the shadows. Tall, broad, well muscled, as he imagined. What he wasn’t prepared for was the face that greeted him when the paladin finally stepped into the light.

The boy’s heart practically froze in his chest. He hadn’t seen him in almost a year now, and he certainly looked different with the tuft of white hair above his forehead and the scar across his nose, but he still recognized his old friend.

“Shiro?!” Despite his astonishment, he still kept his voice quiet. 

“Matt?” the paladin murmured, probably just as surprised as he was. “Is that you?”

“ _ You’re  _ a paladin of Voltron?”

“Quickly.” The Balmeran said from outside the cell. “Time is short.”

Right, the mission. 

“Come with me, Shiro. We’re gonna get you out of here.” 

Matt turned to leave the cell, and he was pleased to hear Shiro following him without hesitation.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked quietly as the three of them crept back down the hallway towards the hangar. 

“Not now.” Matt answered. “I’ll explain everything once we’re out.”

_ And hopefully you’ll do some explaining too _ .

They returned to the hangar with little trouble, but once they got there, they ran into a problem. The drones had changed their positions, and now there was little to no possibility of sneaking past them. 

Shiro came up alongside Matt, where they were crouching behind some crates. 

“If all of us attack them at once,” he whispered, “from all different directions, we should be able to take them out without raising the alarm.”

“You don’t have a weapon.” 

“Yes I do.”

Matt jumped when Shiro’s hand lit up bright purple. He hadn’t noticed until that moment that almost his entire right arm was made of metal. He wasn’t the only one to be experimented on by the druids, it seems. 

“Alright. Let's give it a shot.” If all went well, the information team would be waiting for them when they got back to the ship, and they could split. 

They couldn’t position quite as well as in the prison corridor, but they could spread out, at least a little. At Matt’s cue, they all leapt out at their target drones. The Balmeran once again found it easy to grasp the head of the drone and rip it right off. With a few well aimed staff strikes, Matt’s drone was reduced to several pieces on the floor. He turned just in time to see Shiro punch a drone in the chest, with enough force to completely cave in it’s torso. His glowing hand tore a hole straight through the middle of it, exposing the currents arcing between split wires. 

Matt didn’t have time to be impressed. They had to keep moving and get back to the ship. 

Once they did, Matt was relieved to see that the information team had in fact beaten them there, and they could leave immediately. 

As soon as the ship’s ramp closed behind them, Matt tossed back his hood and turned to face Shiro. 

“Is this the paladin?” one of the information team asked. Matt nodded mutely. Shiro and he just stared at each other for a long moment, taking each other in. They were both so different, Shiro with his scars and missing arm, and Matt with his leg and his staff, quite honestly looking like a Jedi. Then, slowly, grins spread over both of their faces, and Shiro pulled him into a tight hug.

“I never thought I’d see you again.” Matt found himself muttering, and to his surprise, tears were stinging at the back of his eyes. He hadn’t cried in a long, long, long time. 

“Matt.” Shiro said, squeezing him tightly. “I can’t believe it.” He then stood back and held Matt at arms length, both of them smiling shakily. 

“Where have you been? Pidge has been looking everywhere for you.”

A frown creased Matt’s face. “Who’s Pidge?” 

Shiro’s eyes widened, and an abashed look came over him. “You don’t know? No, of course not, how could you possibly know?”

“Know what, Shiro?” Matt asked gravely, grasping his shoulder. If someone was looking for him, he had to know, otherwise the whole rebellion could be compromised.

“Your sister, Katie. She’s here, fighting the Galra. She’s at the Castle of Lions.”

For the second time in less than an hour, Matt felt his heart stop beating. 

“You’re kidding.” he mumbled in shock.

“I’m not.” He had a small, soft smile on his face. “She’s a paladin. She flies the green lion.”

For a long moment, Matt couldn’t think of anything to say. And then he tightened his grip on Shiro, digging in his fingertips.

“You have to tell me everything.” He insisted, eyes glinting. “Right now.”

* * *

 

“I want to see Shiro.”

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

Keith crossed his arms stubbornly, staring the Princess down. She stared right back, standing firmly in front of the locked door to Shiro’s bunk, where he had been quarantined since the day before. Keith was sporting a large multicoloured bruise on his neck, but other than that Shiro’s attack hadn’t done too much damage. Still, Allura didn’t want him anywhere near anyone, especially not the new black paladin. 

“Let me in, Allura.” he growled, but Allura refused to be intimidated by a scrawny teenager like him. 

“What part of ‘The Galra did something to him and now can control him from anywhere whenever they like’ do you not understand?” For once she wasn’t in her paladin armor, but in her normal dress with her hair falling in dramatic puffs down her back. She always wore it when she wanted to impress upon others her authority as Princess, and if she had to invoke that title to keep Keith away from whatever Shiro was now, she would.

“We can’t just lock him up and leave him to rot.” His brows were furrowed, and his tone had a distinct edge to it that said he was holding back his anger. “I can’t just abandon him like that.”

“You’re not abandoning him, you’re protecting yourself.” Their argument probably would have gone on for much longer, if Coran hadn’t come skidding around the corner at that moment.

“Princess!” he called down the hallway. “Someone is hailing the castle!”

Keith and Allura exchanged a wary look, previous conversation forgotten, and then together they hastened up to the bridge. 

The other paladins were already there, staring up at the video link that had been established between the Castle and the approaching ship. The face filling the screen was that of a blobby yellow alien, looking almost like an Arusian without the horns. 

“Princess Allura.” he said upon their entrance, his voice sounding a bit like a toad with lung cancer. “I am Captain Bob.” 

Lance snickered openly at the unexpected name. Hunk clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, and Pidge bit her lip. Keith’s eyebrows rocketed up, disappearing behind his bangs. Allura and Coran were unmoved. 

“What is it you want, Captain?” Allura asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “If you are seeking protection from the Galra, I’m afraid the Castle isn’t the place.”

“On the contrary.” The Captain’s face shifted, as though he was raising his chin, if he had one. “I have some passengers aboard I feel you would be very interested in meeting.”

“Who?” Keith demanded.

“I cannot say here. Only be assured that it is in your best interests to accept.”

Hunk, Lance, and Pidge turned their gazes to Keith and Allura, who both wore wary expressions.

“I don’t know.” Keith murmured to the Princess. “Our track record with letting strangers into the Castle hasn’t been that great.” 

“But what if it’s my brother?” Pidge butted in, running up to them. “We have to at least see.”

“What if it’s not?” Keith countered. “What if it’s a trap?”

Allura considered her options, studying Pidge’s guarded yet hopeful expression, and then Keith’s unhappy one. On the screen, Captain Bob was watching them closely, waiting for their answer. 

“I think it’s worth the risk.” Allura decided. “Captain, we will accept your offer.” 

Half an hour later they were all waiting in the landing dock while the large cargo ship landed, ready to summon their bayards at a moment's notice. The ship was boxy and a good deal bigger than the lions, reminiscent of the space pirate Rolo’s ship. 

Pidge shifted anxiously on her feet, tugging on the hem of her shirt. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She knew that statistically the chances of her brother being on this ship were infinitesimal, but she couldn’t help hoping. With a puff of air, the ship's ramp began to lower, and Pidge edged closer.

Keith took a step back, angling himself sideways, only barely removed from a battle stance. He wasn’t going to take any chances.

The ramp descended to the floor with a metallic click, revealing the interior of the ship, which was bathed in darkness. A tall, lanky shape began to take form, and Keith summoned his bayard. At first he only noticed individual features. A staff. A cybernetic leg. A dramatic grey cloak. Then it all came together to form a human kid, who couldn’t have been much older than Shiro, and who looked like a carbon copy of their green paladin.

“Matt?” Pidge whispered. She had been going crazy with hope just a second ago, but now that he was standing right in front of her, she was frozen in disbelief. Was it really him? After all of this time?

His eyes came to rest on her face, and tears immediately welled up, despite his soft grin. 

“Katie.” Hearing her name spoken, her real name, broke the spell, and she flew up the ramp and into her brother’s arms. He was warm and solid, she could feel the scratch of his tunic against her cheek. Definitely not a hologram or a trick. Unable to contain himself, Matt picked her up and twirled her around.

He thought he would never see his father again, let alone his mother and sister, who he thought were still on Earth. But she was so smart, and so determined, she followed him into the stars, and they had finally found each other again. 

“How did you know where to find me?” Pidge asked, pulling away just enough to wipe her tears from her face. Matt was crying too, but he pulled himself together enough to answer. 

“I had some help.” he said, turning expectantly towards his ship. Pidge followed his gaze quizzically, keeping one hand firmly on her brother's arm. 

Keith hugged his bayard close again as another shape began to emerge from the shadows. The reunion between the siblings had been touching, but he still wasn’t going to let his guard down.

Then his eyes went wide and his stomach dropped to his boots.

“Hey, guys.” said the man who had stepped onto the ramp, accented with a soft smile. All of the paladins froze in place, not able to believe what they were seeing. Standing before them, somehow, was Shiro.

_ It doesn’t make any sense _ , Keith thought.  _ How did he get out of his room? How did he end up with Matt? Why is he acting like nothing’s wrong? _

Upon seeing the expressions on the faces of his friends, Shiro’s easy demeanor washed away.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. This wasn’t the warm reception he had been expecting. His eyes came to rest on his brother, standing in the back of the group. “Keith?”

His fingers clamping down on his bayard, Keith summoned his blade. He didn’t know what exactly was going on here, but whatever it was, it was bad. 

Lance was the first to take Keith’s clue and summon his own bayard, aiming down the sights at Shiro. One by one, the other paladins followed suit, Pidge shoving her brother protectively behind her. It was a little comical, considering their height difference, but Matt wasn’t laughing.

“Katie, what are you-” he began in a concerned tone, but Pidge cut him off.

“Shut up and stay behind me.” she barked. Matt looked at Shiro, fear shining in his eyes. What was going on, why were they acting this way? Weren’t they a team?

Shiro slowly raised his hands in the universal ‘please don’t shoot me’ gesture. 

“Guys, what’s going on?” he asked, keeping his voice even. Something was seriously wrong. 

“Don’t move.” Keith ordered, moving his blade into a defensive position. “Stay right there.”

Shiro’s stomach grew heavy and cold, as though he had swallowed a snowball whole. Keith had never looked at him like that, with so little trust and a little bit of animosity. 

“Keith-”

“Don’t. Move.”  Keith’s eyes narrowed at him, and then flicked to Allura. She was holding a bayard, to Shiro’s surprise. 

“Allura, you guys keep him here. I’m going to go check the room.”

Allura nodded tensely, flexing her fingers around the handle of her bayard. Keith surveyed Shiro again with a wary glance, and then turned and sprinted away into the Castle. 

“Shiro, what’s happening here?” Matt ventured to ask, giving his friend a fearful look. Shiro kept his mask up, though inside he was freaking out. 

“I’m not sure.” he admitted, and then looked down at Pidge, who was looking at him as though he had transformed into Zarkon himself. “Pidge, why are you acting like this?” 

The green paladin scowled, the light from her bayard reflecting off of her glasses, and didn’t answer. 

Shiro turned his pleading look to the others. “Hunk? Lance?” 

They glanced at each other, exchanging uncomfortable looks. 

“I’m sorry, Shiro.” Lance finally said. “But we have to be sure.”

“Sure of what?”

* * *

 

Keith rushed down the halls of the Castle, making his way to the bunks. He had to find out how Shiro had gotten out of the room. 

This time there was no Allura to block him, so he easily unlocked the door and stood back, bayard at the ready. The door slid open painfully slowly, the light from the hall slowly filling the room until it landed on the shape inside. Shiro looked up at him, hands still bound behind his back, blinking rapidly at the brightness. 

“Keith, you shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous.” His face was surprisingly downtrodden.

Keith’s heart was hammering against his ribs, so loud he was sure the whole Castle could hear it. This wasn’t possible, it didn’t make any sense. Unless…

Without a word to give anything away, he stalked into the room and seized Shiro (?) by his collar. 

“Get up.” he snarled, hauling him to his feet. 

“What’s going on?” he asked, but Keith didn’t answer, simply marching him out of the room and back down the halls. 

His insides were all bunched up in knots. If what he thought was correct, they had all been played by the Galra, and the idea made his blood boil.

Storming with his captive back into the hangar, he saw the other Shiro still standing on the ramp of the ship that had delivered him, hands still up. Keith felt bile rising in the back of his throat. 

Wordlessly, Keith shoved through the circle of paladins and shoved his Shiro hard, who fell to the ground in front of the ramp. He sat up, shook his head, and then he and the other Shiro locked eyes.

There was silence for a long, long time, the two Shiro’s just staring blankly at each other. 

“What-” murmured the one on the ramp.

“How?” asked the one on the floor. 

Gritting his teeth and eyes stormy, Keith stomped between them, brandishing his sword.

“Alright, give it up.” he said, glaring first at one Shiro, and then the other. “Which one of you is the spy?” Before either of them could answer, he narrowed his eyes. “Or both of you.”

“Uh, Keith,” Lance piped up from the background, “I think it might be the one who’s eyes started glowing and tried to kill you. Seems like a pretty safe bet.”

“What?” Exclaimed the Shiro on the ramp, while the one on the floor lowered his eyes in shame. Looking closer, he could see the hand shaped bruise imprinted on Keith’s throat. Forgetting for a moment the situation he was in, he took a step closer.

“Don’t.” Keith said, snapping his sword up so that the point barely grazed Shiro’s skin. “Stay right there.” Shiro, seeing the anger blazing in his eyes, held up his hands again and stepped back. 

“How is this possible?” said Allura, finally stepping in. 

“The Galra must have cloned him.” Hunk speculated. “I didn’t know they could do that.”

“Nor did I.” the Princess responded gravely. “We must question these two very carefully to determine who is the real Shiro.”

“And who said either of them is?” Keith asked impetuously, still pointing his sword at the standing Shiro. Turning his head to look at Matt, he continued his question. “How do you know you didn’t just bring us another galra puppet?”

“When we found him,” Matt explained, “we also downloaded the data from the Galra base. I haven’t had time to decode it yet, but maybe it’ll tell us how they did this.” 

“Alright.” Allura said. “Everyone, down to the lab.”

* * *

 

Keith stood at the back of the room once again, slowly twirling his galra blade in his fingers. Allura had positioned herself in front of the two Shiro’s, who were seated side by side while Allura fired question after question at them. So far, they had answered identically. 

Pidge and her brother were crammed together over Pidge’s laptop, murmuring to each other, still working on decoding the galra data. Hunk hovered close by, peering over their shoulders anxiously. Lance stood near Keith, but still a safe distance away, watching the interrogation just as closely. 

Keith was struggling to contain himself. He felt heavy with anger, a mixture of betrayal and guilt. The person he thought was Shiro, who he had been confiding in, was just an imposter, a spy. Despite his rage over that, he also couldn’t help but feel partially responsible.

_ How could I have mistaken someone else for Shiro? How could I have not seen right through it?  _

“Whoo!” Pidge suddenly cheered, making everyone immediately take notice. “Got it!”

“You decoded the data?” Lance asked, walking over to where the siblings sat. Keith followed suit, anxious to see what the galra had been planning.

Her blue screen was filling rapidly with words as the information passed through her translation program. Her eyes raced over them, taking in the knowledge as quickly as the computer could spit it out. After a few moments, both of the Holts’ eyes widened. 

“You were right, Hunk.” Pidge reported. “They did clone him. It looks like they gave him all the same memories as the original Shiro, and then sent him here to tear us apart from the inside.”

“Even he doesn’t know he’s not really Shiro.” Matt murmured quietly. 

“Does it say how many clones they made?” Keith ventured to ask. He watched as Pidge skimmed the screen again. 

“It says just one.” She straightened up and glanced over her shoulder at the two Shiro’s. The one in galra prison garb was unfazed, but the other was staring into thin air, as though he couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening. “But if they have the same memories, it’s hard to tell if he’s really Shiro.”

“Wait.” Keith said, glancing over at them. “I might have an idea.” 

A few minutes later, they were all gathered in the Black Lion’s hangar, the metal robot rising dozens of feet above them. 

“Black didn’t respond to him.” Keith said, lightly nudging the suspected clone with his elbow. He swayed on his feet, hands still bound. “But if he responds to you,” here he looked over at the other Shiro, eyes hard. “Then we’ll know for sure.”

The other Shiro looked up and up and up at the face of the Black Lion, and couldn’t help the small smile that grew on his face. He had missed Black. 

Slowly, he approached, and before entering took a moment to lightly lay a hand on one of the lions huge paws. Then he ascended to the cockpit, while everyone else waited with bated breath. 

There was silence. 

And then the room was filled by a mechanical roar.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't laugh at captain bob alright I asked my sister for an alien name while I was writing and that's what she said bite me.


End file.
